San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1887-03-03
Influence OF a Newspaper, Illustrated.


decidedly greater growth Of Temp
erance sentiment within the bounds
of its circulation as compared with
adjacent counties, The fact was
made manifest at the late elections
the result is Just as clearly attribute,
bio TO the active influence OF our pa
per,
Going a little further back, and
we have another striking instance OF
it's political influence. Our readers
will recollect that with the opening
of the year, following the counting
out Of Tilien and Hendricks, who
were fairly elected in 1876, the FREE
PREss placed at its masthead the
name of Mr. Tilden as the democrat
ic candidate in 1880. II seemed 50
perfectly clear to our mind that such
WAS the demand at once OF prln'
ciple and policy, that we could
not see how any one could RI
tionally reach different con
clusion, But it was not then n
popular idea in Texas. All her lead
ing politicians declared with bitter
ness against Mr.. Tilden, and OF
course welded a good deal OF inhu'
ence with the people. We, however
never faltered for u moment, but
week after week reiterated our posi-
ton and reasons for taking it. The
result was that this strong conseiva
tive democratic county of Hays IL
it's county convention endorsed the
nomination of Tilden. We believe
it was the only county in the State
which did this. II any explanation
can be given save the course OF the
FREE Press, we are quite ut loss tc
conceive what it could have been
The policy we contonded for did moi
prevail in the national councils OF The
party, and Gen. Hancock was led tc
III. slaughter, when the old ticket in
orr opinion would have again won
the day and held the field. Bat iou'
years later we had the gratlhcatlor
TO find an almost universal endorse
ment of the correctness of our views
the Texas politicians were effectually
silenced and whipped in before the
nearly unanimous demand OF the
PEOPLE for the denomination OF III
den and Hendricks, and but for the
absolute refusal of the former, rea-
lizing his physical uniitness, no power
on earth could have prevented them
from again being selected as the
Democratic standard bearers.
We will go still further back to il
lustrate the influence Of the FREE
Press in o non. political sphere-we
mean in awakening n literary taste
in this community. We ask our
early subscribers and readers to re
cur to the period referred to, and we
think they will conccde that the
FREE PRESS was the pioneer in arous-
ing literary taste and activity prev
iously much less common and con
spicuous in this community. BY the
introduction and sale of popular
books periodicals and newspapers,
and especially through our club
bing list-still popular feature
-wo were the instrument, year after
year, of disseminating n greater love
for reading, which after time SO IN
creased the demand for reading mat,
fer MS to lead to tho establishment OF
our present prosperous book and
news stores, so that now any book
can readily be procured here, and
the business has become n largo one
and steadily gowing in interest and
Importance. The FREE Press most
heartily rojoices in this literary har'
vest, the result undoubtedly i'll no IN
considerable degree of its early sow
ing.
Again, in widely advertising this
town and county and thus attracting
attention and immigration to them,
the influence of the FREE Press, 1t
will scarcely be denied by any, has been
greater than probably all Others com
bined. Aside from its regular course
on that subject, we prepared and
published the only full and truthful
description of this county, circulating
many hundreds of copies at our own
expense. We also, through the late
DIR. Erhard and other correspond
ents, preserved and circulated the
facts which must form the basis OF
the history of the county.
Without charging on the above
point at present, we will with like
brevity merely refer to the influence
of the FRrE Pass in securing our
present independent Free School
system. lit he said that the FREI
! prrss alone could not have secured